With the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US, the diplomatic relations between China and the US are likely to be pushed into a serious crisis, foreign media say.
China, which has expressed its strong opposition to this incident, accuses the US of acting as a “world policeman”. Stressing that the sovereignty and security of every country must be protected under international law, China has described this as a brutal act of terrorism by the US.
Venezuela is an ally of China and China buys about 75% of Venezuela’s oil exports. In addition, there is a large amount of Chinese investment in Venezuela, and China has invested more than $ 100 billion in the country’s railways, power plants and infrastructure in the past 25 years.
Hours after Maduro made a flattering statement calling Chinese President Xi Jinping his older brother, he was arrested by a US military team.
The arrest and the uncertainty have put Venezuela’s $10 billion debt to China and the assets of Chinese companies at risk, economic analysts warn.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the US will not allow rivals or competitors to operate in the Western Hemisphere. Political commentators have called it a “get out” message to China.